Croydon Council's Appointments & Disciplinary Committee has recommended the approval of the authority's Pay Policy Statement for the 2026-27 financial year. The statement, which outlines policies on the remuneration of Chief Officers and the pay of the lowest-paid employees, was reviewed by the committee on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Gillian Bevan, Head of Human Resources, presented the statement, noting that it aligns with the 2025-26 National Joint Council (NJC) pay award, with the 2026-27 award yet to be determined. The London Living Wage figure has been updated.
Councillor Robert Ward raised a concern regarding the redundancy pay calculator, suggesting it could be viewed as age-discriminatory. Dean Shoesmith, Chief People Officer, acknowledged the validity of this observation, stating that the proposals reflect statutory provisions. The redundancy pay calculator, detailed in Appendix 1 of the statement (App1 - PPS - 2026-27.pdf), could be seen as age-discriminatory because its calculations are partly based on age.
The Pay Policy Statement details the council's approach to remuneration, including basic pay, allowances, benefits in kind, and termination payments. It confirms that Croydon Council does not apply bonuses or performance payments to senior staff. The statement also highlights that the council has maintained a gender pay gap of zero percent or below for the past four years, with figures for March 2024 showing -1.3% (mean) and -0.1% (median). The council also monitors and publishes disability and ethnicity pay gap information.
Severance payment policies are also outlined, including redundancy and early retirement schemes. Special severance payments exceeding £100,000 require a vote of Full Council, while those between £20,000 and £100,000 need sign-off from the Head of Paid Service, Section 151 Officer, and Monitoring Officer, with a record of the Executive Mayor's approval. Payments below £20,000 are approved by the Chief People Officer. The rationale behind these specific thresholds for requiring different levels of approval is not explicitly stated in the document.
The definition of the lowest-paid employee is set as those on Grade 1, scale point 2. From 1st April 2026, the full-time equivalent annual pay for these employees will be £28,617, equating to an hourly rate of £15.25. This rate reflects the current Real Living Wage London (£14.80 per hour from 1st April 2026). The council commits to paying the Real Living Wage. The statement indicates a pay ratio of 1:7 between the lowest-paid employee and the Chief Executive. The salary of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service is £210,724 per annum.
The committee resolved to recommend the Pay Policy Statement 2026-27 to Full Council for approval, aligning with the Executive Mayor's Business Plan priority for good governance and best practice. The full minutes of the meeting can be found here: Printed minutes 27th-Jan-2026 17.00 Appointments Disciplinary Committee.pdf.